Me
as a Professional: Where I am and Where I’m Going
I love art. I appreciate
creativity of all kinds. And I have spent my life thus far in creative
endeavors.
I
currently work full time in an architectural office in Las Vegas. Born and
raised in Indiana, I never dreamed I’d end up here. But after zig-zagging
across the country (I left the Midwest for the west coast, and then moved to
Miami on the other coast) I landed a job that had me working on casinos. I
loved working on casinos, and all of the restaurants, clubs and other amenities
that supported them. To me, there seems to be no industry that demands
creativity more than hospitality. So I ultimately decided I needed to be in
(what was at the time) the center of the hospitality universe.
I
landed a job with Paul Steelman (of Steelman Partners), one of the world’s
preeminent hospitality architects, and have since led and supported design
teams working on casino/resort projects across the country and around the
world. People are enjoying themselves in places I’ve designed in cities all
over the United States, as well as locations in Canada, China, Australia,
Cambodia and Vietnam.
I
eventually struck out on my own, and quickly landed hospitality projects of my
own. Unfortunately, I did so just in time to catch the recession that had the
whole world reeling. The business I had generated over the course of two years
literally disappeared over night. With an email and a follow up phone call, all
of the projects I had been working on were “put on hold,” essentially putting
me out of business.
I
spent a year and a half largely unemployed. On the plus side of this, I did a
lot of soul searching. I wound up picking up my guitar and playing in a couple
of bands. I hadn’t done this since high school. But I have had a lifelong
passion for music, which ultimately drove my decision to pursue a bachelor’s
degree in Audio Production at the Art Institute of Las Vegas, where I am currently
enrolled. I have found that I enjoy the production side of audio at least as
much as I do in the creation of it. Complicating matters somewhat, I attended
the DGA (Directors’ Guild of America) Awards in 2013, and again in 2014. I have
since been interested in film and television. This new interest has guided
me in my audio classes, and I have made efforts to educate myself about
these visual media in my free time.
I
was rehired at Steelman Partners, and I am back to designing casinos and
resorts. My perspective has changed quite a bit over the years though, and now
I think a lot about the hospitality industry and the entertainment industry,
and how I might figure out a career path that somehow merges the two
professions. I have a strong desire to work my way into film and/or television.
But I don’t want to do it if it comes at the expense of losing architecture
altogether.
